Ultra Magnus has a feedback topic, so why not Prime? This incarnation of Optimus Prime comes from the Robots in Disguise line, which was known as Car Robots in Japan. His Japanese name is Fire Convoy (which I think is much cooler). Once again, Prime takes a small departure from his usual semi-truck alt mode. Here, he's a big red fire truck, and pulls the look off much more convincingly than Cybertron Prime did (or even Animated Prime). So let's start off with vehicle mode. This is a nice, beefy fire truck. We've got rubber wheels, a ladder that turns, angles up and down, and even extends. You can activate the weapon gimmicks by pressing on the button at the front end of the ladder (revealing the Blizzard Storm cannons), and at the back of the ladder, which brings out four spring-loaded missiles ready to fire. Not much robot kibble to be seen except for Prime's super mode head, but it's easy enough to ignore. If you have batteries installed (2 AAA's), you'll be treated to sounds and lights if you press the button in the middle of the cab siren lights. Prime has a few different phrases and siren sounds. The siren can be a little annoying if you press it unintentionally, but it's not bad. You can always press it again in hopes of getting a different, shorter phrase. All in all, vehicle mode gets a 9.5/10 for me. It's almost perfect. Next up is the basic robot mode, which is made up of the "cab" section of the fire truck. The cab itself is obviously not intended to be played with separately of the "trailer", so I won't comment on that. Prime is extremely well articulated here! Shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles all move very nicely. The plastic on the hips somewhat limits movement in the legs, but it's not too bad. Prime's head rests on a ball joint, and can move around nicely. The waist turns a full 360 degrees. The light and sound gimmicks still work here, and Prime has a small pistol to hold too! Nothing to sneeze at. Basic robot mode gets a 9/10. Using the remaining trailer parts, you can construct a "base". What is there to say? Some people love them, some people hate them. At least it gives the left-over parts something to be used for, when displaying Prime in his basic robot mode. Looks alright, but it's nothing special. Base mode gets a 6/10. Using some of the trailer components, you can upgrade Prime to "Mega Mode." Take the sections that will become the feet for super robot mode and put them on the shoulders. You can take the piece that will become the left arm, and stick that on Prime's arm as well, leaving an arm to hold his gun. It actually looks alright, but the painted missiles on the shoulder units don't fire. Adds a little extra oomf to the basic robot mode. 9/10. Last, but certainly not least, is the super robot mode (also called Battle Matrix mode I believe). Here, we attach all of Prime's trailer parts to his body. He gets new feet, new shoulders, new arms, and a new chest/head/backpack. He gains a fair amount of height here, and a ton of weaponry. The parts fit on fairly firmly, but the head and backpack can be troublesome to get on just right. The ladder has some nice range of movement here, but it's extremely heavy. Be prepared to get creative if you want to get some good poses in. The small gun Prime had before can be fitted next to his head as a little cannon. Works nicely. The arms now feature two small, double-barreled guns to add to his arsenal. Despite the added bulk, Prime doesn't lost too much mobility, though as mentioned before, the ladder causes some balance issues. Still, once you get the right pose in, Optimus Prime looks very impressive here. He's even got an Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which can be seen by folding open a flap on his chest. Super robot mode gets a 9/10. It's not an average, but all in all, I give RiD Optimus Prime a 9.5/10. Though he's got a few kinks here and there, he's an amazing figure, and a really badass Prime. If you don't have one of your own yet, you should really consider picking him up. He's a great figure on his own, and with the feature of combining with his "brother" Ultra Magnus, he's even more impressive. A complete RiD Prime is becoming a bit harder to track down nowadays (many people seem to lose his gun and missiles), so don't wait!
Just so you know, you have his boots on the wrong way round. The missiles are meant to face inwards. Other than that, they are very nice pics. I really like Fire Convoy. It was my first 'Prime' since I couldn't afford to buy big toys during Beast Wars. When I found out about him I was wait so impatiently for it to come out over here .
Now the one I have in Vectors collection has Black not Orange on the chest and the gray plastic is darker. Why is that???
Actually, I am pretty sure the boots are correct. I use to have him.If you turn them the other way, the "diamondplate" plastic sticks up and it looks ******ed! It is a great figure! The articulation is fantastic!
One of my favorite Primes EVER. Only downside is the tiny gun doesn't really seem to fit with a badass Autobot leader, and the rubber tires which I've had to superglue thanks to cracking and breaking. The articulation is awesome, and the firetruck mode is massive and in your face. The base mode the "trailer" components can make when no attatched for the super mode is a neat idea and visually cool even with the visible robot parts. Definitely one of the major Gems from the RiD line, and IMO one of the best Primes ever produced.
Hey, I'm ALL FOR retro-reviews. Personally, I love this Prime. I've got him over on my shelf right now, so I can't really comment on specifics on his articulation, but he's one of few figures I've gotten that below the knee rotations (I prefer thigh rotation) really works. His regular bot mode is sweet. Only problem I have with it is that there is no standalone cab mode. I LOVE the super mode. It's like putting armor on him. That's pretty sweet if you ask me.
You have the Costco exclusive version of this figure. It was the same mold with just minor paint application differences from the original shown above.
Yep, I like his size. For me, the best part is having him eventually combine with Ultra Magnus. Just to share for the sake of the thread:
I also agree that Fire Convoy is one of the best "Prime" toys. AND then he becomes that much cooler when combined w/ God Magnus!! I still REALLY want a Black Fire Convoy (I know, good luck lol) and am kicking myself for never picking up the God Fire Convoy giftset when they were still relitivaly cheap.
This is such a great figure and has aged well, even now its one of the best Prime/Convoy toys. However, even though I like the fact that it can combine with Magnus, I prefer Fire Convoy/RID Prime by itself. Its regular and super robot modes are great, but combined with Magnus you get a thin waist concoction and a figure that is hard to balance on its own 2 feet. It has impressive shelf presence when combined, and waist aside, it looks great, but to me, its not that functional and is one of the most over rated combinations. The idea is there, the execution is not up to par. With much tighter ratchets and a more stable connection with more show accurate proportions, Omega prime would be great. Nonetheless, Magnus and Fire Convoy/RID Prime are worthy to have, and RID Prime is a great figure in its own right. Not that many people display it this way, but I loved the option of mounting some of the truck/super parts on the regular robot mode to add more power. It looks great with the missle salvos on the shoulders!
Delta that was a great review, did no one ever do it for real? I have that yellow Sam's club version of this and it is the best version of prime in my opinion, and I have em all. Good review again.
